Snapchat is a popular social media app that allows users to send photos, videos, and messages that disappear after being viewed. One of Snapchat’s key features is that by default, your conversations and stories are automatically deleted after 24 hours. However, some Snapchat data like your search history, location history, and sometimes even chats can stick around longer than you might want.
So can you clear your entire Snapchat history? The short answer is yes, it is possible to delete your Snapchat data, but how much you can delete depends on the type of history.
Deleting Viewed Snap History
When you view someone’s snap or story, it gets added to your “Viewed” history under that friend’s name. Your viewed snaps history shows the timestamp of when you opened or viewed that snap. Here’s how to delete your viewed Snapchat history on iOS and Android:
On iOS:
- Open your Snapchat app and tap on your profile icon in the top left corner
- Tap on the Settings (gear) icon in the top right
- Scroll down and select ‘Clear Conversation History’
- Select which conversations you want to delete your viewed history for, or tap ‘Clear All’ to delete everything
- Tap ‘Delete’ to confirm
On Android:
- Open Snapchat and tap your profile icon
- Tap the gear icon to go to Settings
- Scroll down and tap ‘Clear conversations’
- Check the boxes next to the conversations you want to delete history for
- Tap ‘Clear’ at the bottom to confirm
This will delete your viewed history for those selected conversations. Keep in mind the other person will still see that you opened their snaps.
Removing Chat History
Snapchat chats are deleted automatically after 24 hours by default. However, you can manually delete a chat thread at any time by:
On iOS:
- Open the chat you want to delete
- Tap and hold on the chat
- Tap ‘Delete Chat’ in the pop-up menu
- Confirm ‘Delete Chat’ to erase the entire thread
On Android:
- Open the Snapchat chat
- Tap and hold on the chat
- Tap ‘Delete’ to erase the chat
- Confirm by tapping ‘Delete’ again
This will permanently delete the entire chat history from your device. The other person will still have the chat on their end.
Clearing Search History
Snapchat keeps track of your search history for finding friends, groups, lenses and more. Here’s how to clear your Snapchat search history:
On iOS and Android:
- Go to your profile and tap the gear icon
- Scroll down and select ‘Clear Search History’
- Confirm by tapping ‘Clear’ or ‘Clear History’
This will wipe all your searched terms and results from Snapchat’s servers and your app. Your search history will go back to a blank state.
Deleting Location History
The Snap Map feature lets you share your location with friends. Here’s how to clear your Snapchat location history and stop sharing your location:
On iOS:
- Go to your profile and tap the gear icon
- Tap ‘See My Location’
- Tap the gear next to Snap Map
- Select ‘Clear Map History’
On Android:
- Go to your profile and tap the gear icon
- Tap ‘Settings’ next to Snap Map
- Select ‘Clear Map History’
After clearing your location history, your location will no longer show up on the Snap Map unless you intentionally update your location again.
Deleting Memories
Memories are Snaps and Stories that are backed up and stored by Snapchat. To delete individual Memories:
- Go to your profile and tap the circle icon next to your name
- Tap on a Memory to open it
- Tap the 3 dots icon in the bottom left
- Select ‘Delete’
To mass delete Memories:
- Go to your Snapchat profile and tap the gear icon
- Scroll down and select ‘Clear Memories’
- Tap ‘Clear All’ to confirm deletion
Removing Friends
To delete a friend from your Snapchat contacts:
- Go to your Friends page in Snapchat
- Tap and hold on a friend’s name
- Select ‘More’ from the pop-up menu
- Tap ‘Remove Friend’
This will delete them from your contacts and erase the chat history between you. However, they can still re-add you as a friend if they want.
Deleting Snapchat Data from Account
To delete your Snapchat account and all associated data, you need to:
- Go to Snapchat account deletion page: https://accounts.snapchat.com/accounts/delete_account
- Enter username and password and solve captcha
- Select ‘Delete My Account’
This will permanently erase your account and all Snapchat data including memories, stories, friends, etc. You cannot recover it after account deletion.
Using Snapchat History Eraser Apps
There are third-party apps like Snapchat History Eraser that claim to delete various Snapchat data like stories, photos, friends, etc. However, it’s not clear if these apps truly work since Snapchat’s API is now closed off.
Most of these apps were relying on Snapchat’s old API to delete history. But after Snapchat closed their API access, these apps likely cannot fully delete your Snapchat data anymore.
It’s better to just use Snapchat’s own tools to manage your privacy and history. Don’t rely on any third party apps to erase your data.
Conclusion
To summarize, here are all the main ways to clear your Snapchat history and data:
- Delete viewed snaps history for individual conversations
- Manually clear specific chat threads
- Erase entire search history
- Turn off location sharing and clear location history
- Delete individual and all Memories
- Remove friends from your contact list
- Permanently delete account and all associated data
While Snapchat is designed to be ephemeral, some data sticks around longer than you might expect. So it’s good to know how to clean up your Snapchat history manually for better privacy.
| Snapchat Data Type | How to Delete/Clear |
|---|---|
| Viewed Snap History | Clear for individual chats in Settings |
| Chat History | Delete specific chats by holding on thread |
| Search History | Clear in Settings menu |
| Location History | Turn off Snap Map sharing and clear history |
| Memories | Delete individual Memories or clear all |
| Friends | Remove/block friends individually |
| Account and All Data | Deactivate account fully at snapchat.com |
The main Snapchat history that you cannot directly delete or control is:
- Other people’s memories of you in chat screenshots
- Snaps saved by others using third-party apps
For complete privacy, avoid sending anything too sensitive in the first place. Overall, be smart about what you share on any social media.
Other Snapchat Privacy Tips
In addition to clearing your Snapchat history, keep these privacy best practices in mind:
- Limit your Snapchat Story audience
- Be selective with who you share your location with
- Don’t add strangers as friends
- Use Snapchat’s Ghost Mode to take a break from sharing your location
- Enable Screenshot Notifications to know if someone takes a screenshot of your snap
- Don’t use any third-party apps that claim to “erase” Snapchat data
Snapchat has come a long way with privacy options and settings. Take advantage of these features, be careful about what you share, and periodically clear your Snapchat history for peace of mind.